Finalists of the 2023 cohort of the Export Mentorship Programme (EMP), organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), have accused the federal institution of abandoning them and reneging on its promise to provide funding.

A member of the cohort, whose name EQ has withheld, said that before completing their training the NEPC assured them of support to facilitate their entry into the non-oil export sector. However, this promise has yet to materialise.

He explained that they were attached to mentors who trained them on the rudiments of exporting within their respective organisations from May to October 2023, with the assurance of funding to kickstart their export careers.

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“The mentors were supposed to connect us with international buyers and serve as guarantors to banks so we could access funds to start exporting, but while banks like Jaiz Bank were ready, the NEPC didn’t give the mentors any directive,” he told EQ.

The source’s acceptance letter

“I think it is because this is not the new CEO’s project. It was the former CEO’s project. Until now, our mentors are waiting for the NEPC to give them directives.”

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EQ’s source also claimed that the government released funds to support the finalists’ dream of exporting, boosting the Nigerian economy, and enabling them to retrain future participants of the EMP. Despite this, they are still awaiting the fulfilment of this promise.

“When we went to Abuja to receive our certificates at the end of the programme in October, they gave us N200,000 for transport. They also assured us that we would return and start exporting properly. However, there has been almost complete silence since then,” he said.

“In August, they asked us to produce a documentary about our experiences to send to the International Trade Centre in Geneva, which we all did at our internship centres, but I’m not sure how that has helped our case.

“It has now been over a year since we graduated, but we haven’t exported anything because they have yet to fund us. All we have is a certificate. When we ask questions, we get no response. An insider told one of us that someone is sitting on our money.”

This claim aligns with another finalist’s account. She said the NEPC failed to honour its commitment to provide funding after the training programme concluded.

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“At the end of the programme, during our graduation, they reiterated that they would make exporting easier for us by providing funding. But this hasn’t happened,” she said.

“They promised to help us, but they haven’t done anything. We have met all their conditions, so they should provide the funds for us to start exporting.”

On Friday, EQ contacted the NEPC via its website’s “Contact Us” section. There was no response at the time of publication. An email EQ sent to the NEPC also bounced back.
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